A COMMERCIAL airline pilot is recovering in hospital after swallowing 62 bags of cocaine on a flight only to have one break inside his stomach forcing him to turn himself in.

Court documents obtained by Click2 Houston state that Stanley Rafael Hill, 49, has been charged with possession of drugs and intent to deliver.

Sources told the news outlet that shortly before boarding the flight from Colombia, Hill ingested 62 small rubber sacks of cocaine. Hill was travelling as a passenger on a commercial flight to Houston and was not flying the plane.

Hill managed to make it through security and to a Houston hotel before he called for help when one of the sacks burst inside him.

It is unclear if his security clearances made it easier for him to smuggle drugs.

It is not known which airline Hill works for but his family told NBC 5 that it is a small regional air carrier and that he is a father of two.